If there's ever been a persistent comment on Android Police in the last couple of years, it's that powerful smartphones are just too damn big these days. The Nexus 6 is gigantic, and 5.2"+ is quickly becoming standard smartphone size. Finding a good, inexpensive phone that isn't too large isn't impossible, but it's probably not as easy as it should be.

So, that's where Alcatel comes in. Yes, Alcatel has a reputation for making some of the slowest, cheapest, and least likeable prepaid phone fare here in the US, but in China and around the world, Alcatel does offer a pretty large portfolio of handsets. The problem is that in America, Alcatel hasn't generally sold unlocked smartphones, instead leveraging partnerships with carriers to sell the aforementioned prepaid swill that no one really likes, but has somehow catapulted the company into the number five spot for smartphone sales in the US. Now that Alcatel has cemented a position with the carriers, though, they're going to attack the rapidly growing US market for unlocked handsets (yes, unlocked phones really have been that unpopular here).

Video erroneously states 4.7 version has 1080p display - it is actually 720p

Meet OneTouch Idol 3 (try to get past the name) - a mid-range, affordable phone that's actually pretty nice. The Idol 3's biggest appeal aside from price is perhaps the proposition of "one phone, two sizes," as Alactel will offer the Idol 3 in both 4.7" and 5.5" forms. The one big difference aside from the display dimension is chipset, but don't worry, this isn't some lame MediaTek fare - the Idol 3 is equipped with either a Snapdragon 615 octacore or Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor, and both models will have LTE. The 4.7" version gets the less powerful 410, but that chip is no slouch. As for the 615, it's Qualcomm's most potent midrange offering on the market. Both chips use 64-bit A53 ARM CPU cores.

Both versions of the Idol 3 feel relatively quick and snappy, even on the prerelease firmware we were shown. Now, your question, of course, is what these phones will cost. Alcatel hasn't announced pricing, but $249 and $199 for the 5.5" and 4.7", respectively, seems like a very good bet to make based on the discussion we had with the company. They will be sold unlocked through a yet-to-be-launched online storefront, with shipping fulfillment provided by Amazon.

Dual front-facing speakers, 720p and 1080p IPS LCDs that actually look quite nice (really), Android 5.0.2, and LTE are standard on both versions of the Idol 3, and at those price points, it's not hard to see why Alcatel may raise some eyebrows here. While the phones won't launch until Q2, it's not like they're going to get lapped by everyone in the meantime, so these should be pretty competitive budget devices when they do hit the market.

The preproduction devices we were shown did have a couple of issues - build quality was not exactly outstanding, though I think these phones in particular had been subject to a lot of testing and wear and tear before they reached our hands. Still, the loud speakers and very respectable displays belied their pricing, the latter's lacklusterness generally being a reliable marker for budget smartphones - not so here.

The software overlay is, essentially, a launcher. Toss on your own option and the Idol 3 basically acts and feels like any Lollipop device. Alcatel indicated that they intend to take a strong vanilla-Android approach in the future as well, because it has actually become something of a differentiator. The $600-800 flagships almost invariably come with significant skinning, so foregoing that customization is actually a potential customer draw, especially at such competitive pricing. Alcatel generally wants to commit to a 90-day upgrade cycle for its phones, but admits that this is going to vary based on the chipset in the device (read: Qualcomm).

Our review of the Idol 3 should be on the horizon in April. Full specs for the Idol 3, in both sizes, follow.

Comments

I would ogle a 7200p phone's gorgeous screen for the whole five seconds of battery life it would have.

Đức Thành

Don't worry, it comes with Fast Charging technology so you would only have to plug the charger in for a mere 45 minutes and you can have a whole 4 seconds of screen on time, again!

Jose Romero

The phone have a better front design than the M9, simple and symmetrical.

Tony B

Subjective but devastating point...

silver_arrow

These phones have pretty decent specs behind the, lollipop, onscreen buttons, high res cameras, LTE support and good processors. Hopefully these sell well in North America, these phones actually look better than Motorola devices if you're looking for a good deal. Just need to see updates.

Tommy Crosby

Why the "mini/small/etc" version always have lower specsheets?
They should do like Sony/Apple and have a smaller phone with the same specs.
I really like this Idol 3, but I want a phone with a 5" or less screen without being downgraded in performance.

Cute Cat

People wanting small phones are now a minority. Why would a company want to waste R&D on such phones?

They just toss in whatever old spare parts they have and voila it's a phone.

Тарас Мукин

Alcatel will cut a big segment of budget phones in the coming years. Clear, elegant design, newest Android, good specs, small price -- phones for both geeks and regular customers. I really love alcatel for this

usaff22

This is the most amount of news AP has ever had on a Sunday.

YouNex

7200p that's incredible !

YouNex

The 5.5" one is a serious deal !

J.J.

yes, was just about to say that. at $100 less than the one plus with specs not too far behind

J.J.

shaping up to be a very interesting price point in 2015 with the zenfone 2 also coming.

swag

this is an amazing deal, 250$ for a phone with 5.5 inch screen and lollipop

George

Isn't the Asus zenfone a better deal?

Jordan Vasquez

The Zenfone does seem like a better deal, but I'm not so sure how I feel about Intel running the show on the insides of that device.

swag

I'm not sure what to think about the intel atom processor, according to benchmarks the qualcomm is much better. anyway, I don't like the asus design and the ui, at least the alcatel has a nice design and ui. I guess it comes down to personal preference but I prefer the 5.5" idol 3

Zaatour36

they look awesome!

someone755

The 4.7 incher looks tiny compared to its big brother and N6.
The day the original Galaxy Note came out with a 5.2" screen, everyone was like "nuu it b 2 big" lol.

Tony B

Wow...these are some impressive devices at those prices...

reggjoo

Just say no, regardless of how it looks, what's supposed to be inside, whatever the config, and so much more, don't believe the hype. Wrong usb id's,(confirmed on my linux machine, theirs didn't work, but the id's I got from my linux pc did. Told them, they did nothing, said i did something wrong, and ignored. Even the update that they had, still had wrong id's. Very bad support. Buy at your own risk.

RichHomieGuan

a less known manufacturer pumps up better designs than all these other large OEMs, y'all saw the M9? the big ugly SQUARE of a camera on the back is just gross vs the alcatel one here where it is discrete

Markoff

yeah, I find HTC design to be worst among on popular brands, it looks like something they could sell like 3-4 years ago, but it's hard to nderstand why would anyone buy something so ugly

jetscreamer01

I don't see band 4, 12 or 17. Will it work on Tmo/AT&T?

sagisarius

I noticed that too, my guess is that these are the bands for the UK or something.

Max, el Slowpoke

Sure they look nice, but I would highly doubt Alcatel's commitment regarding Android updates.
Here in Chile we have rebranded Alcatel phones under the "Öwn" brand, which have become pretty popular. Of course, there's almost zero development for them, but it is clear now that we power users are just a minority.

250$ for the 5.5 version is excellent. Will beat all the competition, especially the ZTE Blade S6 which has the same processor.

Markoff

what the heck is that disgusting third phone on the right side with bezels you can use for frame on the wall? Btw. don't call it Alcatel, it's Chinese TCL with Alcatel sticker on it, Alcatel phones ceased to exist long time ago

btw. both these phones are worse than TCL Idol X+ specs wise and also design wise

Tony Damiani

Nice phones. Just throw some Nova Launcher and you got a pretty good damn experience.

Madis Otenurm

Thank you, Alcatel, for making a 4.7" Android phone in 2015! Now I wonder, when will others return to that size too...

Verzwei

Some lame MediaTek fare? You surely don't know how the MTK chips work well.

Daniel

Where Can I download this walpaper?

Jonathan

I don't know if anyone mentioned or noticed this but these LTE bands are wrong. Those are for the European version I believe. The U.S. will have 700 (12), 1900, and 2100 if my memory serves me well. Please correct me if I'm wrong.